Lover
by Axeex
Summary: Hinata Hyüga is just your average ninja. She barely ploughed through the Chunin exams, her missions would rarely escalate further than an C rank, and she is thought to be too innocent to be a ninja. But why does the Hokage seem so taken with her? AU, OC.
1. Unobtainable

**I'm not a native English speaker**

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Hinata tried her best not to fidget in her sandals. Her faint blush appalled her to kingdom come but the owned it up. How could she not blush? She straightened her back and tried to keep eye contact even though she wasn't being looked at.

"Ah, Hinata always does an amazing job being a tracker!" The Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki exclaimed with a smile, leafing through her hefty report. "But, maaa, no need to be so detailed with these. I already know it went smoothly."

Hinata beamed upon his recognition.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." She replied serenely and patted herself mentally for not stammering. She has put on a lot of work to overcome that. "But if I have a say… The crooks weren't that h-hard to find." She cursed mentally.

Naruto looked up from the clipped bunch of papers and at her. His blue eyes slapped Hinata in the face. They were so beautiful she had to still her face so it didn't look stupid. Then he smiled and Hinata couldn't help blushing harder. God, she was so obvious.

"Don't sell yourself short, Hinata." He replied seriously. Hinata blinked when he stood up from his recliner seat and casually strolled towards her.

He loomed her silhouette cosily, the Hokage cape giving him an authoritative aura even though he didn't look like that at all.

"Good job. And I'll say it a thousand times more if it's necessary."

Hinata held her breath and pressed her hand against her voluminous chest. It was too much and she couldn't do it. Naruto's smile fade slightly and he stared at her intently.

"Hinata… are you alright? Your face looks too red!" He said worriedly, leaning closer to have a better look.

She didn't answer, and felt that she must have stood there for a while now. God, how she hated the way she reacted around him. It was so unbecoming of a ninja. But they were very close, weirdly so. She was gaping and he was raising one puzzled brow. His face was beyond adorable, but most of all, handsome.

"Y-y-yes!" She shouted a little bit louder than she would have liked. She took one step back and fought heavily against the urge of fainting. It hadn't happened to her for a while and today would be no exception. "It's j-just the weather! It can get very hot!"

"Hm… Is that so…" Naruto mumbled to himself, scratching his chin. Then, he seemed to think of something because his face lightened up. "Then, what about going for an ice? My treat!" He offered with a grin. "I also need to cool down. I think the air has broken down, that damned Shikamaru! I told him to call up someone!"

Hinata's usually pale face had gone from red to blue. Has she just been invited out by the Hokage? Her heartthrob? She ran through many scenarios where she spent an amazing afternoon with the man of her dreams, talking about anything, laughing about stupid jokes and him promising her to take her away…

But there was just a small problem…

"U-um, I don't think that'd be a good idea." She broke her own heart after saying those words. Naruto's lips frowned in surprise.

"Uh, why? Don't you wanna come with me?" He said with a sad flourish, switching to his puppy eyes.

Hinata wanted to die right there. Was he for real?

"N-No! Please, no! That is not what I meant!" She cried dramatically, deeply hoping she didn't offend him. He smiled at her again, this time questioningly. "It's just… I don't think you should leave the Hokage's office just for a mere girl like me." She said quietly. "Besides, you must be really busy…"

That, and there was just about another big problem… And that was pretty much the rest of the feminine ninja and civilian population of Konoha. Naruto was seen as some sort of jewel embedded in a pedestal that should not be touched. Only the strong could get away with trying to approach him. After all, every single person was dying to find out who the person the Hokage would someday wed might be. Hinata, a 'feeble lass', as how hurtfully she would sometimes be referred to, stood no chance. She didn't want to push her luck.

"I'm not accepting a no as an answer!" Naruto suddenly decided.

Before she could even retaliate, three clones appeared in a cloud of smoke out of blue. Hinata could only stare in amazement as how he pulled off such feat without even moving. She was temporally enthralled.

"Done. These guys will take care of everything while I'm gone." He said cheerfully, gazing at the trio of sullen-looking clones behind him. Their whispers of 'Lucky bastard', and 'I wish I was the original' went unnoticed. "Well, let's get going!"

"But…"

Hinata couldn't finish her sentence as she was delicately dragged outside the door by a strong grasp. Hinata choked inwardly and went mute. They both exited the office and walked a couple of steps in the circular hall before making it to the new and bigger secretary nook.

Naruto's head peeked in, startling Moegi who was reading a bunch of documents. "Moegi! I'll be out for a couple hours!" Hinata hid her face in horror, even though she couldn't be seen.

"Hokage-sama?!" The surprised voice of Moegi was heard. "Leaving this early? I don't know if you should…"

"Don't sweat it. Just leave all the paperwork you want on my desk. I've already left some reinforcements back there." Naruto answered dismissively, turning around and chuckling with complicity. "I promise I'll work hard once I come back!"

A resigned sigh was heard. She gave off the impression to be well used to this kind of behaviour. "Well, Hokage-sama does work hard. Alright. I'll take over just for two hours! But you ought to come back! Please, and don't forget this time." She reprimanded softly.

"Yeah, yeah!" He spun his head towards his companion. "Let's go!"

* * *

Hinata fiddled with her fingers and she tried to relax under the shade of a tree. She was currently sitting on a pretty wood bench that did nothing to soothe her inner nervousness. Naruto had walked them both to one of Konoha's most flourished plazas. After Pein's utter destruction (she still shuddered upon the mention of that name), this one place was one of the few which was built first.

It was all greenery. There were some stone paths and a dozen of sakura trees. Every single colour marvelled her sight, but all of them were defeated by the unmistakable striking blond of her love interest's hair. He was trying to buy a pair of popsicles from a very elated old woman who couldn't believe the Hokage himself had stopped by. When he was finished, she entertained herself by watching how Naruto was constantly either greeted respectfully or bowed to passers-by and even ninjas. He was a sheepish as ever. She was secretly glad that no stupid fangirl kept him.

She couldn't help feeling pride herself. There, afar from her stood the strongest ninja there is right now. Well, there also was Sasuke Uchiha, but she wasn't sure about that. In any case, he was there with her and she was having a hard time believing that.

But it all ebbed away as soon as he approached her with a goofy smile. He was endearing, but that did next no nothing to placate the attention they were gathering. Hinata wasn't used to this and hated herself because of it. She would love to think of this as some sort of date that was possible in her crazy little head, but feeling a bunch of stares as Naruto sat beside her and offered an orange flavoured ice proved to be too much to fully ignore.

"It's my favourite. No, not because it's orange!" He joked, swiftly sticking his own orange palette into his mouth. "Eat it before it melts! Come on."

Hinata smiled weakly and grabbed the popsicle by the stick. Their fingers touched for an instant and she felt stupid for liking it. He however seemed unfazed. She slowly brought the dessert to her lips and started licking it.

Unceremoniously, they spent a bunch of minutes in silence. Hinata felt slightly uncomfortable and panned herself for not making conversation. When will she get another chance like this one again? She peered at him discreetly. The sunrays reflected on his face, making his everlasting tanned skin swarthier. Naturally, his blue eyes ascended from deep sky to a striking sapphire colour. She was now oblivious of everybody but him. The other may be damned.

"Hinata! Are you listening?" Naruto's voice brought her back. He was once again leaning a bit towards her, wearing another puzzled face.

Was she listening? No. But she would never say something that could possibly hurt him in any way. Perhaps she was exaggerating, but she wasn't going to take any risks. Also, it is common for her to get lost in her musings, so she has experience bouncing back.

"Of c-course, Hokage-sama." She smiled in spite of the horrible blush that creeped through her cheeks. She tried to make an escape by focusing on the ice.

Naruto beamed up and she felt guilty immediately. "Whoops! My bad, but you've got that expression you make when you're lost in thought. What's going on in your mind, anyways?" He voiced himself.

Hinata was taken aback. Did he notice that? Usually, most people would peg her blushing as some sort of medical condition, so as not to deliberately say 'stupidity'. It is something she has learned to overcome.

"I'm just t-thinking about what I'm going to do this weekend." She replied. It wasn't a lie. She was totally free. "If I m-may ask, what are your plans, Hokage-sama?"

"Please don't call me like that." He cut her off curtly. She looked at him with surprise. "It makes me feel way too much important. Just call me Naruto. Will you?"

They both shared a pregnant silence. His gaze was intense. "I… could never…"

"I'm happy you said yes!" He said gaily. "Me? Well, I still have to work on weekends. And I usually sleep Sundays away…"

Hinata didn't know how to respond to that at first. She had finished her ice when he said that, and not having anything to hold on was getting on her nerves.

"I'm sorry I was inconsiderate. Y-You are always looking after all of us… Surely you must be busy every day."

Naruto snickered.

"Well, that is true! But don't mind me. What about your team? Hit them up for some sparring sessions or whatever!" He suggested. Hinata took a moment to consider the idea, but Naruto misunderstood it. "…Are they ignoring you? They'd better-!"

"N-no! All of them are away." She was quick to interrupt. "Yuumi-sensei is on a mission and Sora-kun has left Konoha for a week. He told me something about a very special cave with incredible gems stashed inside. He should be coming back today, now that I think of it…"

Hinata smiled after remembering her teammates. They were an odd group. Just two students and one teacher. Both Hinata and Sora joined the academy awry, right where there were no spaces to fit in in first year. Skipping years was not allowed anymore. So they simply were given slightly different timetables. It was a special arrangement that was possible thanks to her clan and Sora's. So they both graduated as a pair and were lucky enough for a jounin to volunteer to teach them.

"Oh, well, I shouldn't have gotten so worked up over nothing…" He said awkwardly and Hinata smiled sweetly. She appreciated it. Naruto was still for a moment before he opened his mouth. "Hinata, what are you do-"

"Hinata-chan!"

Naruto stopped amid his sentence. They both turned towards the shouting voice of a brown haired boy who was approaching them in the distance. Hinata immediately recognised him and smiled broadly.

"Sora-kun!"

Said boy didn't take much to stand in front of them. He didn't take any time to bow to the Hokage, either. Naruto was still recovering from his interruption, oddly.

"Hokage-sama. Good afternoon." He said respectfully. This time, Naruto did cotton on the situation and tried his best to come back to the conversation.

"Welcome back, Sora." Naruto acknowledged with a short nod, his face inscrutable.

Sora smiled brightly in response. He then stood straight again and turned to Hinata. His blue eyes were suddenly sizzling with energy. "I didn't know if you'd come back from your mission yet, so I came here and found you. How did it go?!"

Hinata blushed a bit as she was the centre of attention once more, but smiled nonetheless. Her answer didn't portray her shy visage.

"I didn't face any problems. Actually, it was kind of easy! I could find and incapacitate those crooks." She said eagerly. "How was your trip? Did you find something interesting in the grotto?"

Naruto's neck got stiff of trying to keep up with the convo. They both started talking so animatedly that his presence was ignored momentarily. He carefully watched how Hinata successfully engaged in a conversation without coming close to stuttering. Her blush had subdued, too. Him being there was out of place.

So he immediately knew this was his cue to go.

"Well, I'd better get going."

The young ninja froze in their spots and then met Naruto's strong gaze, realization hitting them. Hinata couldn't put her finger on the feeling that his eyes bore. A horrible sinking feeling took over her chest.

"H-Hokage-sama, I'm really so-"

"It's fine." He smiled kindly. She felt worse. "You two take care, alright? And Hinata, I suggest you to take some days off. Believe that you work way too hard! "He said before spinning on his heels and slowly strolling away. "See you around!"

Hinata and Sora watched him get further from them until Naruto mysteriously disappeared after his silhouette was covered by a civilian for a moment. And with him, the small bubble of happiness that surrounded her was also gone. She was now aware of the people getting about in the square. They were as nosy as ever.

Sora sighed regretfully.

"Sorry. I just ruined your moment with him." He said ruefully, looking down.

"IW-what are you saying?!" Hinata's crestfallen face suddenly shrieked in a deep red, hiding behind her hands. "We were just t-talking!"

"Come on, you know it wasn't like that. Hokage-sama is barely seen out of his office with people other than his friends. Actually, why were you two here?" He frowned in confusion.

Hinata reckoned her answer for a moment. "He… treated me to an ice lolly…"

Sora's eyes widened. "What?! No way!" He exclaimed, amazed. "Way to go, Hinata-chan! I'm happy for you!"

"We were just talking!" She said defiantly. Sora didn't feel convinced. "But he looked angry when he left." She murmured, sulking. She was still happy, but she could tell that Naruto's smile earlier was forced. "I need to apologize…"

"Uh… me too. I blundered it…"

They both shared a long silence. Sora's stepped up to be the one to talk first.

"Don't worry. Maybe he is really tired. You know, I think it's amazing that Uzumaki-sama is our Hokage, but he seems kind of young. He took over a bunch of months ago, didn't he?" He reasoned.

A tired-looking Naruto flashed through her mind. She could have sworn she had seen rings below his eyes, but was it her imagination?

"Also, there's a rumour that the civilian council is peacefully suggesting him that he weds someone so that he can start his lineage. There must be a lot on his back."

Hinata fleetingly wondered how come Sora had noticed all those things and she hasn't. He must really pay attention. Plus, he might also be into gossiping.

"Naruto-kun…"

* * *

**Please review.**


	2. Raw Instincts

**I don't own Naruto**

**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites!**

* * *

Naruto leaned heavily on the recliner seat of his office with a loud sigh. His hand clasped on the request form he'd just finished reading and filling up. He wondered over and over if he did well in allowing Hinata to partake in the B rank mission that Konoha was given.

Kiba had popped up in his office one week ago and demanded to be given something to do. He'd claimed that after the war, S, A and even B missions were rather scarce. Naruto quickly concluded that Kiba was bored to death and knew the Hokage well enough to barge in and start bugging him for 'action'. Naruto, being in the days leading up to a new Kage summit that was to take place in Konoha, had to give in and throw him a bone.

One of the few available B missions were usually reserved for troublesome ninjas who were more powerful than the normal batch, aka jounins. Naruto could vouch for the fact that the more powerful oneself get, the crankier you'll become. He was glad that he was an exception, but he still had to be wary of those surrounding him.

So, annoyed to death, Naruto swiftly went through one of his secret drawers inside his brown office desk and fished out one mission that involved tracking. Perfect, he'd exercise his Inuzuka nose and it was long enough so that it meant one less problem to deal with. He would go to a nearby village that formed the fringes of the Land of Fire and spend hopefully a month there, trying to strike down a very secretive organization of bandits. Naruto had also written over the 'bandits' word and changed it into 'ninjas' so as to make it look convincing. Kiba would have refused to be sent after a bunch of crooks, after all.

What he did definitely not expect was Kiba showing signs of craftiness. He of course knew about the upcoming summit even though by then they were one week away from the official announcement to the public. The Hokage had totally forgotten that. And so as not to miss it, Kiba asked for an extra hand. And if possible, a Hyüga. That would make his job so much easier.

They both knew very well that Kiba wasn't the most popular with the stern group of people that conformed said clan, but if it was The Hokage's orders, they wouldn't bat an eye. Especially and order from someone like Naruto.

The only one available for duty, much to his bad luck, was Hinata. He had a hard time piecing together how on Earth that had been like that, but he'd also forgotten that the rest of the white-eyed ninjas were either working or solving inner confrontations due to the proposal of dissolving the secondary branch and make the clan just one. And Naruto wasn't about to fiddle with that matter. Something like that had to be taken with a grain of salt; and he'd already been called before to act as a liaison. The future seemed bright, so he was left no other choice.

Shikamaru walked in carrying a pile of papers right when Naruto's head bumped against the hard surface of his wood desk. He sighed mentally, already preparing for the troublesome situation that was about to befall, and casually dropped the pile beside Naruto's head.

"These have just come in." He drawled with a bored look. When his blonde friend didn't answer, he frowned. "Oi, get up. What's wrong with you? Feeling tired already? It's two more hours before you get off. But if you feel very tired…"

"No, it's not that, I can carry on…" Naruto mimicked his friend by sighing. Shikamaru mentally cursed. Naruto wasn't one for sighing. Something was off. "I'm just out of my sorts today..."

"You told me something similar yesterday, and the day before, and all the goddam previous week." Shikamaru hissed. "What a pain… but come on and tell me what's bothering you."

Naruto hm'ed theatrically and made no movement that showed signs of life. Shikamaru's eyes were quick to catch on the bunch of papers in Naruto's hand and leaned forwards to retrieve them. He read them quizzically and then stared at the Hokage, who was now looking at him, too. He looked like an adorable baby fox that had been crying.

"I'm pathetic." Naruto said.

"High time you said that." Shikamaru quipped immediately.

Naruto's face banged against the desk again, letting go a groan.

"So, that was the girl everyone was talking about last month, huh…" Shikamaru asserted rather than asked. Naruto hummed as a yes. "Hokage-sama, really? She's just a kid. Keep it in your pants."

"It is not like that!" Naruto's shouted, sitting ramrod. "What does have it to do with you, anyways?!"

"Nothing whatsoever, actually." Shikamaru murmured, lazily throwing the papers onto the desk. He spun around. "Well, I'll come back later to check up on you. I need to talk to some people about that troublesome powerful people reunion."

Shikamaru made for the door but stopped when he heard Naruto standing up.

"Wait! Don't go!"

This time, Shikamaru moaned loudly and turned around, hiding half his face behind his hand. Naruto's lips were thin and his face was slightly red.

"I need to ask you something. Can I?"

"Knock yourself out."

Naruto's hand fumbled with the air due to his own nervousness until he finally gathered enough courage.

"Do you think it's really a problem if… if she is younger than me?" He mumbled, looking extremely abashed.

Shikamaru's eyes widened a little but not enough for Naruto to notice. His advisor couldn't help snickering.

"Who?"

Naruto blanked for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, who are you talking about?"

This was Naruto's turn to groan. He raked his blonde hair with his hand and panted heavily.

"I mean Hinata." He replied. "Do you reckon I'm too old for her? … I don't have wrinkles, do I? Crap-"

"Alright, hold your horses." His advisor interrupted. Naruto froze in his place, realising that he had given away way too much. Shikamaru looked at him dead in the eye. "No. You're fine, more than that, actually."

It was God's doing when Naruto's face loosened up heavenly. Shikamaru couldn't believe it but he was disappointed in himself for not having noticed before. It wasn't like he was noisy, but something so obvious couldn't have possible escaped his eye.

"So, Hyüga Hinata, Hokage-sama? Now that I think about it, you two make a cute item."

"Shut up! Have more respect! I'm your boss, remember?!" He shouted, going red in the face. Shikamaru smirked. "And please don't tell anyone."

"Will do."

* * *

"Ha!"

With a short but powerful cry, Hinata's palm rammed against the chest of one unfortunate bandit who was sent flying right to the bark of a tree. There was a loud grunt of pain when his body slammed against the rough surface, making a flock of birds fly away from a random spot in the forest they were in. Not getting confident at all, her eyes flickered in recognition and she gracefully spun around and deflected a flurry of shurikens thrown at her with a kunai she took from her pouch.

She breathed deeply once and locked her gaze with that of her new foe: a random bandit who actually turned out to be a ninja. Or at least, she tried to deem him as such as his face had a terrified look on. He must have acted on impulse and now seemed at loss what to do.

Well, he would have to face her.

Without missing a beat, Hinata quickly took one defensive Gentle Fist stance and shortened the distance between them. He gasped in surprise and meekly tried to block Hinata's left hand which was aimed at his arm. A painful and fleshy noise was heard, alongside a scream of pain. He staggered backwards for a single second and tried to grab one rusty katana in his belt that was dangling, but she didn't allow him to do so.

Quick in motions, Hinata slammed his hand with a pulse of chakra emanated from the tips of her right hand and quickly went for his other arm, shoulders, legs then the knees. By the time she was done, the man's bod had dropped to the grass with a thump. Cross those two out.

"Oi, Hinata!"

Smiling to herself, Hinata sought the source of the voice calling for her. Kiba jumped out of a bunch of trees and landed a couple of meters in front of her, casually collaring one young bloke with one hand who was trying to break free and carrying one unconscious body with the other on his shoulder. Hinata face-palmed mentally and tried to ignore the evildoer's insults.

"Let go of me you BASTARD! I swear I'LL KILL YOU! THEN I'LL FUCKING RAPE THAT BI-" But he was cut off when Kiba's big hang chopped him in the neck, rendering him out cold.

"Yeah, yeah, all these guys always want to say something. It really pisses me off." The Inuzuka grumbled fiercely, throwing both guys towards an odd-looking pile of more bodies. "Well, that was disappointing! That idiot fox gave us a joke of a mission!"

Hinata tried not to feel scandalized upon hearing such words, but remembered that Kiba and Naruto were friends and perhaps that was their kind of relationship. Not that she approved of it, Naruto was The Hokage! Still, it was none of her business. Besides, she secretly agreed that Kiba could have handled worse things than this perfectly on his own, thus making their mission trivial.

"Are you done, Hinata?" Kiba asked and then had a look around, spotting another pair of bodies. He then guffawed loudly, like a dog's bark. "So lame!"

Hinata smiled weakly in response. There were some leaves rustling from nearby bushes before Akamaru made his appearance, too. He vaulted towards the two of them, dragging another man by the collar of his jacket with his sharp teeth.

"Akamaru! Are you done, too?" Kiba greeted his dog with mirth. Akamaru threw the poor man at the pile in mid-air and barked happily. Hinata could swear the dog was actually smiling as she approached them. He was so expressive. "Attaboy! That'll do it, I guess."

Akamaru pawed at the ground to catch Hinata's attention and she obliged contently, petting him. Kiba chuckled.

"Kiba-san, what should we do with… them?" Hinata asked with uncertainty while she scratched behind Akamaru's ear. The dog was in cloud nine. "We can't simply leave them in the open."

"Don't worry, we'll just tip off the nearest village. Tensai was it, right? If I'm not wrong, these bad guys have caused lots of trouble to them, so the village people will gladly handle this."

Hinata agreed to the plan. There were too many of them and all were alive. Normally, when you were given a target to take care of, it usually means to kill it. The body then could be disposed of by either burning it, or hiding it, or the like. That was something Hinata wasn't very fond of.

What do you do with two dozens of knocked-out people?

"Kuchyose no Jutsu."

Hinata managed to catch her team leader in time to watch the famous summoning jutsu. She quietly admired how a small black can the size of a ball appeared in a cloud of smoke. Kiba pulled out a scroll from his ninja vest and hgave it to the small animal. Akamaru's tail whipped the air, trying to sniff the newcomer.

"Take these to someone of importance in the nearest village. I'm sure you can smell it." He said after having crouched. "Make it hasty, alright?"

"Understood." The dog replied. Hinata gaped just a bit. It was so cool.

When Kiba got up, the summoning bolted away towards the west, immediately getting lost in the trees. Kiba hummed, satisfied.

"Well, I guess we're off, too." Kiba said and smiled at her. "Well done, Hinata. This would've been a pain in the ass if it wasn't for you."

"I'm g-glad I was of help…" She said shyly, already blushing a bit. She let go of Akamaru and he whined painfully. "Although I didn't do much…"

"That's just a bunch of crap." He interrupted her, now standing in front of her. "You are good. I saw you, you fought damn well! You blew those guys out of the water with your fists! I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end!"

Hinata's blush surpassed itself and deepened, but she didn't care much. His praise was too much.

"I've been t-training hard every day ever since I got back from my last mission." She admitted, fighting back the urge of intertwining her fingers. Kiba made a knowing sound. "I still think I have room to improve…"

"Well, you are right about that." Kiba stated… eagerly? Before Hinata could answer, he talked again. "Look, I've been getting bored to death lately and I'll be damned if I start partaking in my clan agenda. Damn my sister, she's trying to bump all the responsibilities on me and bail out! But now I've had a look at your skills and I think that the Gentle Fist doesn't suit you very well. It's too rough round the edges! You have a natural flexibility, whereas the Gentle Fist aims at stoic postures and robotic but fluid motions. I think you can come up with a variation and I could help you out. You improve as a ninja and I wiggle out of my sister's nagging sight. We both win. So, what do you think?"

Kiba was now avoiding her gaze, finding more interesting the painted fangs on his cheeks. Akamaru barked in agreement. But Hinata was gaping openly now. That was something she definitely hadn't foreseen. She had to force herself to mutter something to avoid an awkward silence.

"I… d-don't know what to say…" She didn't lie there. Kiba returned his gaze towards her, a faint blush of embarrassment was barely visible on his tanned face. "I w-would be imposing…"

"Nah! I really want to do this." Kiba said dismissively. Hinata stared at him with surprise. "Tell you a secret? I've always wanted to take on an apprentice. You know, to pass on my knowledge to the younger pups. It is not very common to teach someone outside my own clan, so it'll be a real trip!" By this, Kiba was looking down and nervously patting the nape of his neck. "Will you make up your mind? I hate feeling flustered."

Hinata didn't know whether to feel offended or endeared after being called a pup. The latter won. Nothing but honesty was coming out of his mouth. She was liking this already, and the eagerness to flourish and show it proudly to a certain someone else budded inside her mind.

"Alright!" She smiled brightly. "I accept."

Kiba's neck shot up like lighting and he showed her an incredulous expression before beaming.

"Alright, it's settled then!" He clasped both his hands. "Well, we'd better get going before the sun sets. We can cover up some distance before we need to set up a camp."

"Yes!"

* * *

Naruto's fingers twitched schizophrenically while he tried not to make a fool of himself at Ichiraku's. The pair of chopsticks rimmed the border of his fingers funnily, further impeding his current task.

He has done it and he has had a hard time feeling bad, but he didn't care much at this point. If you want to know the whereabouts of someone, what do you do? Sage Mode. What was the Sage Mode for if not for innocently keeping tabs on the location of certain people? Well, he had done it with Sasuke before (he was too paranoid his friend would flee again) and today's situation called for it.

Today morning, maybe one of his clons skived off and darted towards the edges of Konoha. He might also have hidden himself and instantly gathered some natural energy just to feel the surroundings. And said energy could have gone overboard and exceeded the limits of Konoha's immediate concerns when it comes down to land. Because why would he want to search for possible threats so far away from Konoha? Well…

And soon enough, Naruto sensed two very familiar chakras. They didn't move for a bunch of minutes, but that quickly changed when it was half past six in the morning. Naruto concluded that they had just woken up and were packing their stuff up so as to keep moving. Naruto went as far as to predict that they would be arriving today sometime in the afternoon.

He was satisfied, so he left.

Why did he do it? Why couldn't he wait for them to arrive normally? Why was there an obnoxious feeling in his chest that had been festering ever since he sent Hinata to that mission?

"**Heh… What a knucklehead you are, Naruto.** " Kurama's mocking voice echoed inside his mind, startling him and unfortunately making Naruto bite his tongue. "**Feeling so worked up over a feeble human? Really? How unbecoming of my jinchuriki. You're embarrassing me!"**

"_Shut up, Kurama!_" Naruto somehow thought back angrily. He almost slipped into his mindscape to try and smack the beast. "_What a moment to come back, really! Weren't you hibernating or something like that?!_"

Kurama chuckled amusedly. "**I was just taking a long nap, but I couldn't help hearing some noise outside. I thought we would fight something. But this… This is just like when Kushina was starting to date that Minato brat. Disgusting. Don't feel like that, it's uncomfortable.** **Humans really are stupid.**"

"_Don't lecture me about love. You're the one who spent most of your life hating literally everything. Grumpy fox!_" The blonde hissed, trying to focus on his beloved ramen in front of him. The steam wafted through his nostrils, soothing him. "_You still have a ways to go, believe it._"

"**Heh! At least I would never let another male steal my mate!**"

"_NOW, LISTEN TO ME, YOU STUPID-!"_

"NARUTO! Listen to me, idiot!"

The Hokage's inner confrontation was suddenly disturbed by a powerful whack at the top of his head. A piece of meat stifled him for a couple of seconds and had him thinking he was going to die for a moment. He managed to pull off a quick swallow and put on his most annoyed face ever.

"Sakura-chan! What was that for?!" He shouted indignantly, turning his neck towards his pink-haired friend, who crossed her arms and threw a defiant look at him. "That hurt a lot!"

"Well, you weren't paying attention, you idiot! It was something important I was talking about here." She grunted in her unladylike fashion. "What the hell is wrong with you? You've been out of it lately."

Naruto exhaled deeply and thanked the Gods Sakura had previously scared away all the nosey customers who had tried to fawn over The Hokage as soon as he arrived half an hour ago. She wasn't going to have it at all, and Ichiraku was about to close anyways; nap time was adored there. Teuchi was chuffed to see him again and didn't mind to have them. He prepared two bowls of ramen and chatted with them for a couple of minutes about how he was almost ready to expand Ichiraku before heading off to the private premises of his stand, where his house was located.

And after that, he left the two of them alone.

"It's nothing, I just have a lot going on in my head." He succinctly said, hinting towards the Kage reunion. One look from Sakura revealed that she didn't buy anything he just said. "I mean it."

"Don't mess with me, Naruto. I'm confident when I say that I've come to know you fairly well." She said severely, giving up on the gigantic ramen bowl and fully focusing on him. "You know I haven't seen you lately, that's why I've invited you to have lunch. I know you're busy, but come on! You are wearing yourself out!"

Naruto looked down for a moment, feeling guilty. It was true that he has barely kept in touch with Sakura these weeks. They slowly had stopped spending time together ever since he was made The Hokage, and there were only two things in his mind as of now. Going out with friends wasn't one.

"I'm sorry…" He apologized gloomily. He leaned on the counter and rested his face on both his hands with a solitary look on his eyes. "I know I have messed up. I just, there is so much going on, Sakura-chan."

"Then tell me. I'm your friend, right?" He heard her say softly. She put her hand on his hair and ruffled it rather violently, making him whine in embarrassment. "This is the time when you're supposed to talk to your friends instead of turning your back on them."

"You are not going to believe me."

Sakura blinked twice before she noticed the faint blush on Naruto's cheeks. At that very moment and in front of her green eyes, Sakura knew that something had changed in her friend. She wasn't stupid, having spent so much time with Ino forced her to develop a new sense… A gossipy, nasty one. Had she lost her friend to someone else?

"No way…!" Sakura said with awe. Naruto worked himself up for the upheaval of questioning. "Who is she?! Do I know her? Wait! Is it a she or a him?!" Sakura was quick to ask with gravitas. For a crazy second, the image of Sasuke popped up in her mind out of nowhere. "Sasuke-kun?! Naruto?!"

Naruto chocked for the second time that noon. This time, his throat crushed his senses and his saliva was the abettor.

"NO! FOR THE LAST TIME, I DON'T LIKE THAT IDIOT!"

Sakura's face went ashen. She then smiled nervously

"Okay… okay… I understand." Naruto shot her an unnerved expression. "Then who? Is It recent…?" She asked frantically, somehow scooting closer even though she was sitting on a tall stool.

"Please don't tell anyone." Naruto pleaded, already regretting having told her.

"How could you say that?!" Sakura exclaimed dramatically. She then patted Naruto's shoulder, egging him on. "Now spill it."

Naruto snivelled, so she started to shove him with her arm impatiently. "Alright, alright!" Sakura emitted a triumphal noise. "Her name is…" He hesitated. His friend clamped down on his arm. He whined. "…Hyüga Hinata."

An ominous feeling creeped up Naruto's back when Sakura's grasp went loose. He eyed her without really turning his head and paled. Sakura's face had gone through several stages. First, confusion: who was this woman her friend was talking about? Surely she knew her? Then, realization ran over her like a horde of ninjas. It was that girl she had heard about once or twice last month. It was that girl with whom The Hokage was seen in very amicable terms, or at least that was what the 'tale' recited…

Sakura remembered that hearing that felt odd. Naruto barely had time and out of all the people he would choose to hang out with, it was a random lass? She dismissed such grapevine and threatened to suspend the apprentice medic-nins whom she heard gossiping at the hospital. That day was a bitter one because she also had to work in a different attire as her scrubs had been dyed accidentally after she fucked up her laundry.

And finally, shock took over her senses. She was fairly certain about who Naruto was talking about now that her mind was on a rampage. She had seen the ninja a couple of times before. Shy-looking and with a preposterous bleeding heart for a ninja. Yet Sakura couldn't judge her at all even though most ninjas didn't hold back their opinions. Hinata had reminded her of when she was also a stupid tot aspiring to be a ninja.

"Naruto…" She whispered with her mistiest voice, looking at him sideways. "So… you love the shy, younger ones, don't you?"

"Damn it! Don't say it aloud, someone could hear you!" He said, looking defeated. "I won't answer that. I'll just say I really like her. But I know it won't work out."

"What!" Sakura literally spat incredulously, watching him as though he'd grown out a second head. "Now why would you think that?! I think it's adorable."

"What, really?" He said earnestly. His eyes were so intense that Sakura was taken aback. "Do you think it is possible?"

"Why wouldn't it be? Why don't you ask her out?" She reasoned, finally going back to her old spot and pouted upon finding out that her ramen was now cold. "I don't think she'll say no to you, of all people."

"She's not like that." Naruto said seriously. "Hinata sees people for what they truly are. She wouldn't care whether I was The War Hero or a bum." He recited dreamily, his whole demeanour changing drastically.

"_Now, that's something I highly doubt._" Sakura thought suspiciously, but who was she to tell him otherwise? She needed to meet this Hinata. "What's the problem, then?"

Naruto visibly sulked. "Well… she's underage… And her clan could be a problem. They're Hyüga… And the simple fact that I don't know if she likes me. Actually, I think she feels uncomfortable around me. She is always looking away and her face is always red. Urgh… She can't possibly dislike me anymore, can she?"

Sakura's gears were whirring by the time he had finished saying that. It all sounded fishy and misunderstood. Maybe he was right, maybe she indeed didn't fancy Naruto.

"_Though I can't even bring myself to believe that._" She concluded. "You are probably overthinking it. Where is she now?"

"On a mission… with Kiba" He mouthed that last part but Sakura understood him and didn't miss how his mood soured even more. "Though they sent a message yesterday to say that they'd be arriving today roughly in the afternoon." Which was one extra reason on his list of why he shouldn't have tracked them down before.

"Well, that's good. As soon as she arrives, you'll straight up go and tell her how you feel." Sakura told, no, ordered him. She wasn't amused when she saw Naruto's afraid look. "No chickening out now! Someone might steal her from you! Do you want that to happen?"

"**Well, that might as well be happening right now…**" Kurama chimed in darkly and mischievously. "**When two humans of opposite genders are left alone… Don't you tell me you're still that innocent brat? It happens with all animals, Naruto… Now that I think about it, you're some sort of animal. Well, a very stupid one.**"

Naruto's eyes were about to go off like a bomb. But he had to control himself and get a grip now that it wasn't only Kurama who was telling him the same thing. Sakura had just gotten abroad and he really didn't want to get scared. Was it possible for Hinata to get hitched before he had a chance?

"**That mutt of your friend… He looks rather savage. I wonder if he goes for it hard or…**"

"_SHUT UP! SHUT UP!_" And with that, Naruto closed his mental connection with Kurama, something that he hadn't done in a while. The fox was going to be pissed, but for all Naruto cared he could go die. "D-Do you think I should ask her out? What if I blunder it?"

Sakura's head tilted back and forth for a moment, handing it to him. He tried not to get offended. "Well, there will always be the possibility of a bad outcome! But I thought you weren't scared by anything! You faced that crazy goddess with Sasuke-kun and I never saw a glimpse of fear! This is not different."

…And that was a stretch, Sakura admitted mentally. Of course she could never compare the two things, but if she were to ask out Sasuke, she would get cold feet straight away.

"_At least I've confessed to him!_" She tried to reassure herself. "_**Well, look at where it got us. Almost killed… like twice or thrice?**_" The voice of inner Sakura shot back. She ignored it.

"Yeah… you're right." Naruto finally said after some seconds of brooding over her words. Then, his expression lightened up dearly. She was surprised. He looked pleased as punch out of sudden. "I'll do it… I'll ask her. I… who cares about the rest, the only thing that matters is her…" He whispered. But it was more to himself.

Sakura wasn't sure what to say now. So yes, he had already grown up a lot.

"_Maybe I should give up on him…_"

"Thank you, Sakura-chan!"

The pink-haired woman was surprised when Naruto stood up from his stool and hugged her. She stilled for a moment before chuckling heartedly and hugging him back, happy with what she had just achieved with him.

She only hoped to be the godmother of their children.

* * *

Hinata's pacing could have described as childlike skipping. Both she and Kiba had just arrived in Konoha at around three in the afternoon and they were heading towards the Hokage's Tower to report for the finalisation of their mission. That was also another plus because she would get to see Naruto and receive praise for a well accomplished mission. She was digging it.

Kiba was animatedly talking about how their approach to her training could be, and also throwing in some snarky comments about how his sister would have to get off his back at once, Akamaru being quick to bark in agreement. Hinata was excited to add some of her own ideas, too. They talked about tweaking the very basic stances of the Gentle Fist first.

She was elated. She was given a chance to work under the tutelage of a jounin ninja, who also happened to be a war veteran, someone who worked with Naruto to save the world. Of course, he wasn't much older than her, but the knowledge Kiba must have is surely beyond hers. There are certain things you only learn once you experience them and it was possible that she was going to learn some. Maybe she could get away with missing out on the experiencing part.

Kiba was a good companion. He would crack a few jokes now and then, and wasn't afraid of slandering the 'riffraff', that is the crazy fans, some idiots from the council and ill-willed ninjas. Oh, and Naruto occasionally. But overall, he wasn't at odds with anyone. Kiba was lucky enough that mostly everyone was in good terms with the Inuzuka. They were one of the main clans in Konoha and now prospering. The same thing couldn't exactly be said about the Hyügas, who were still thought to be way too snooty. This was something that Naruto was trying to change.

Also, this short walk with Kiba relieved Hinata of having to watch out for lecherous men. She was still deeply disgusted by how some would react to her very lean figure. She has had many cases when things had escalated, but now, she was at peace.

She didn't really notice how Kiba had already scared away a bunch of them growling at them with her being none the wiser.

And at last, they reached the vibrant red tower. Akamaru had ran off at some point due to 'unspecified reasons'; Kiba didn't want to address that. They quickly greeted people as they made their way towards the Hokage's office and said hi to Moegi, who happened to almost run into them in one of the halls that leaded to Naruto's personal room.

"Oh, Hinata-san, Kiba-san! Welcome back!" She chirped with a smile.

"Hello, Moegi-san." Hinata said softly, smiling back. "I hope you're-"

"Yo! We're here to see Naruto!" Hinata tried not to cringe upon his disrespect. He was a good person on the inside, remember, remember… "Can you arrange it?"

"Of course! Hokage-sama arrived not so long ago, so you're lucky he's in his office. Come with me, I'll walk you there. I need to hand these in myself." She explained, showing a bunch of folders she was carrying.

A minute later, both Hinata and Kiba were waiting in tandem outside Naruto's office. Moegi rapped on the door with an efficient knock and stepped back, waiting Naruto's voice.

"_Come in!_" A hasty voice called from the other side.

Moegi quickly opened the door and they three walked into the room. Naruto was busy scribbling down tons of things in what seemed to be a very special report from The Hokage himself. But when his blue eyes noticed Hinata's frame and Kiba's natural show-off pose, he almost had a heart attack.

"Hokage-sama, please review these. It's about the security measurements for the Kage Summit." Moegi informed him, walking up to Naruto's desk and leaving the rarely small pile of paperwork. "Oh, and Kiba-san and Hinata-san are here to report for their mission. If you will excuse me." And after a bow, she was gone.

The door clicked. Naruto's eyes hadn't left Hinata's ever since he had first made contact with them. The blue haired girl was seriously starting to get self-conscious, which would downright evolve into utter discomfiture. Did she have something on her face? Maybe she was missing something extremely important?!

"Oi, Naruto, we're here! That mission was a joke! You lied to me!" Kiba shouted and, breakingthe small bubble that had surrounded Hinata and Naruto. The Hokage gazed at him. He didn't seem amused. "Don't give me that cross look! I am the angry one here!"

Hinata had previously prepared herself for the small row. She put on a blank face and patiently waited for them to finish. She hid her hands behind her back; the scroll tickled her palms.

"Calm down, dog breath!" Hinata was wearing her heart on her sleeve now. "Of course I lied to you. You were getting quite restless so I had to whip something up to send you away." Naruto admitted shamelessly, smirking. Kiba's teeth gritting could be heard. "Hinata! Welcome back! How did it go? Did Kiba cause you many problems?"

There was something off with the air in that room. Kiba was glaring at Naruto with his lips going white of apparent speechlessness. Hinata was caught off guard. She hadn't expected to be addressed.

"Not even close to the number you stirred up when you were a brat." Kiba barged in, taking one lax posture and crossing his arms. Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously when Hinata looked at the fanged man curiously. He of course had run out of options there and opted to use old material to try to embarrass him.

"Kiba-san? What is that about?" Hinata questioned.

And before Naruto could have a word in, Kiba barked.

"Yeah! Did you know that he once broke into a women's sauna?" Hinata's eyes were like saucers.

"That was because my old sensei had tricked me into doing it!" Naruto stood up from his desk and slammed his hands loudly, flushing like a tomato. Hinata was overwhelmed and rather scared. Surely it was a misconstruction whatever that happened involving said sauna incident… right? "I remember it very well because that same day you were caught stealing dogfood by your sister. And Akamaru is always well fed as far I'm concerned."

Kiba made a choking noise and Hinata shrank in her position. She might as well leave the scroll there and sidle out of the room. But as Kiba was about to dis back, one look from Naruto's eyes was enough to make an ANBU appear beside Kiba. They were kneeled and their voice was veiled when it was heard.

"Kiba-san, you sister Hana-sama seems to be looking for you. I have been instructed to take you to her immediately. Please do come along without fussing."

Kiba gave Naruto a dirty look before sighing and nodding begrudgingly.

"Hinata, I will see you tomorrow at first light, alright?" Naruto's inner alarms rang boisterously. He tried not to panic upon witnessing something that could be an arranged date… at first light? It didn't matter, a date was a date. "Use the rest of the day for resting."

"U-understood…" Hinata replied, this time her early excitement returning. She will be training hard tomorrow! "You, too, rest well, Kiba-san! Thank you!" And with that, she bowed.

Naruto's bowels swooped down, but he was lucky enough that Kiba didn't see him. The wild boy, on the other hand, was chuckling nervously and blushing faintly. He wasn't used to this kind of behaviour by women, that was for sure.

"See you, then!"

Kiba turned around and let the ANBU usher him out of the office, effectively leaving both Naruto and Hinata alone. He'd previously ordered the rest of his ANBU to give him some privacy when the moment of Hinata's arrival came, so as to be able to ask her out properly. But now, he fell deflated.

However, before dropping like a lifeless doll, he had to confirm it. Hinata's decision of handing in the scroll at that precise moment gave him the perfect chance to make conversation without being too obvious.

"So, Hinata…" He said casually, opening the scroll (he still didn't know why Hinata still kept on using these when paper was much more efficient, but it was endearing) and feigning a deep perusal. "What… what was Kiba talking about just know? Are you two… meeting tomorrow? Is it for… p-professional affairs?" He wanted to commit suicide right now right there.

But Hinata didn't notice. Actually, she beamed up like a beacon in the sea. Naruto thought his heart had skipped a beat for all the wrong reasons and secretly sent a prayer to heaven, asking for Kurama's unconditional healing should anything happen. Thankfully, the fur ball hadn't said anything yet.

"Kiba-san offered to train me! He thought I did amazing on the mission, but yet he selflessly said he could help me to get better if I wanted. So I said yes!" Hinata related blissfully.

Naruto's mental sigh of relief was intense. So it wasn't a proper date. Still alarming! But nothing official. He could sense Hinata's unscathed innocence throughout her talking, so nothing iffy was going on there. Yet, he still had to do something.

"Oh, is that so?" He commented robotically, closing the scroll and trying to smile. "Flawless as always, Hinata. Well done."

An instant later, Hinata's face exploded in a red blush. She hid her face using her bangs. Naruto's face darkened. Had he made her feel uncomfortable again?

"T-thank you, H-Hokage-sama." She stammered, accepting her report.

"Well, I think this is enough. You are dismissed."

Hinata bowed deeply and almost ran towards the door, making sure not to make a noise when closing it. Naruto's eyes followed every single motion of hers until the moment she wasn't in his sight anymore. Sighing, he swivelled round on his seat to admire the views of Konoha through the gigantic window.

A wicked feeling emanated from The Hokage's office for the rest of the day.

* * *

**Please review**


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